The Troll and The Human
by EddyMouse
Summary: Follow the hopefully many adventures of Chloe Ship and Ed the Troll. Dont troll or flame or.. what ever its called. I'm new at this. Might change rating in later chapters depending on how things go.
1. Chapter 1

(The first paragraphs are the life breath of a story. I just want you to know that this is my first story, so she is little and broken, but still good. I hope to improve my writings as I go along, and I wanted this to be my way of doing so. I've been seeking fanfics for trolls and other races for so long and couldn't find any worth reading. The good ones I did find seemed to stop or end quickly or worse abruptly. I figured, why not give people what I want to see? So here it is. The story of Edjaba and Chloe. An unlikely pair.)

Ed awoke to the angry rocking of a ship over rough water. By what he could see, the ship was that of a blackwater raid ship. Brilliant. With a roll of his red orbs, he looked around to see what he could find. Wiggling his thick fingers and toes he found that he was not wounded in any way, save for the lump at the back of his head. He closed his eyes, sensing the boat. His animal was near. "Dis jus how I wanna spend da day." He said to no one in particular. It was clear that all hands were required, or he'd likely have a guard.

He used the rocking of the ship to push him self into a sitting position, and used his long arms and torso to maneuver his bound hands in front of him self. Using one of his tusks, he cut the rope around his wrists and quickly tried to rub the circulation back into them. His feet were easy to untie once his hands were free, and soon he was looking around for his weapons. Finally he realized they'd probably been thrown over board. Blackwater raiders wouldn't throw good weapons over bored. He thought, some one must be wearing them. This made him angrier still. He crept up the ladder and peeked out of the hatch on the deck. He quickly dropped down when a canon blast went near where his head had been. He had to laugh, the blood sail pirates were just the cover he needed.

He moved around to another hatch, waited until most of the crew was at the other end of the boat and crept up onto the deck. His bounty hunters were to busy fighting to realize that their bounty was making a clean break for it. A few minutes and he and his hyena were lose. He knew they were close to shore, and he could easily maneuver the jungle, having spent many months there just a few years ago. Strangle thorn never leaves one's memories. It was when he was searching for his bags and quiver that he found her. A strawberry blonde girl in the captain's room. She was tied up and in a long white undershift. He raised a brow, her eyes went wide at the site of him, and this made it obvious. She was alliance. Panic must have clouded her judgment, one second later, she squealed, and it wasn't for some one to rescue her. "Take me with you!"

He was shocked, but had no time to argue. He wrapped an arm around her narrow waist and hoisted her onto his long shoulder. He turned to the hyena. "Give dem hell Shiva, I'll see you on da Island." The hyena gave him a look, before her eyes went red and her lips curled back revealing a mouth of sharp teeth. The Hyena went after the sailors, who already had enough on their plate. Before they realized the troll and girl were gone, Ed was over bored.

When Chloe came to, she remembered the fighting, and the troll. When she was thrown over bored though, her memory became foggy. Her body was warm and dry, she was covered in sand. The small cove was tropical in a honeymoon sense. Gorgeous foliage, beautiful flowers, warm, inviting ocean. A true paradise. Then, something blocked the warm sun from her. "Jou do dat to long, ju gonna fry up mon." Said the thick accented voice. "How do you know common?" Her soft, light voice asked back. "I been roun." He crouched down next to her, his shocking red hair fell over his shoulders, he'd been swimming, no, fishing, she'd correct, seeing the long stick with four large fish on it. "Now, my turn. What you be wantin me to save ju for? ju was better of wit de mercs, don ju tink?" He asked, his voice wasnt aggresive, more curious. She'd always heard that the trolls were unsightly, cruel, human eaters. Cannibals and deeply devoted to magics darker than that of the horde or outland. She looked around, curious about what time it was." I didn't want to go where they were taking me." She said lightly. She knew by the look in his red eyes, that he knew there was more to it then that. "How long was I asleep?" She asked gently. "Sense I tossed jou off dat boat. Dat was dis mornen. It bout dark now." He watched her; she slowly stood and looked around.

"There must be a human encampment around here some where." Dere be one bout tree days walk from ere." He said calmly. "Great... You can take me there!" The look he gave her reminded her about how bad of an idea that was. "Oh. Well, I can get there on my own... Just show me how to get to the main road." She said. "Don let dis cove fool jou, girly. Dis is a jungle. Dere is no main road 'ere. Ain no place for little girl be walkin in a night dress." He said this while putting the fish down. He then walked around the cover to pick up some dried wood that had washed onto land. He then took the pile near her and pulled, from a small pocket on his jacket, a lense from a magnifying glass. He pointed it toward the sun, and in just moments, the wood was heated to smoking, then fire. "There has to be some where. Booty Bay?" "Dat de worse place we could go. Dey lookin for us." He was right. She lowered her head. " What are you doing with the fish?" He watched her, and for a moment, he wondered if blonde humans were as dumb as blonde elves. He shook his head. "Girlie gotta eat, Ed gotta eat." She frowned. "I thought you ate humans?" This made him angry. "Ed won say no if jou wanna give a toe or two, might make da fish taste better." Chloe sat, so her toes were hidden by the dress. She couldn't see it, but this made Ed Grin.

The pair ate in silence, well, an almost silence, though interrupted every few minutes by her slapping her skin to kill a blood sucking bug. "My god the mosquitoes! They are driving me crazy!" He glared at her, if she kept making noise like that, an ogre or worse would find them. He looked around and the foliage and gripped a plant, tearing it away from its roots, he bit it open and rubbed it against a flat rock he'd found earlier to clean the fish on. He mashed the plant until the juices and pulp scented the air and he handed it to her. "Put on jou skin. Bug don like dat." She didn't protest, quickly smearing the mess onto her skin. Finally, with silence, they ate. "Is your name really Ed?" She asked as she finished her fish. "Dat what da human calls." He would say. "'Edzumbaladajiwa' Dat My name." He watched her blink, and for a moment, she looked as though she were going to attempt to say it all, but, in light of not wanting to offend her only guide and protector, she chose not to butcher his true name. "Ed it is." She said simply. Content with this, he would say " Jou gots a name girlie?" He looked at her, his long ears flicked, he highly doubted she'd give her name. It would mean a bond between them, nothing romantic, not even of friendship, but a name is a powerful tool to give some one. He had been honest, but humans were not as honorable a creature. Of the races the gnomes, dwarves, and humans were always the first to lie. "Chloe" She said. He nodded. "Good name for girlie. Ch lo ee" Chloe frowned. "Chloe" She said slower, and he repeated. This went on for a few more minutes while she tried to get him to say her name properly. In the end, the glint of laughter in his eyes as she became frustrated made her realize he was trying to be a pain.

When they were ready to sleep, Chloe curled up on the sand, but Ed watched her with curious confusion. "Dat da worse place ta sleep girlie..." He said, she frowned and looked up at him. "Why? We've been here all day." She whined, not wanting to fight with the big blue pain. "Dat true, but dere ain no croc on deh land durin da day, dem tings come at night. An da raptors. Don wan be stuck on da groun when a pack o dem show dere heads." He would crouch down. "Get on ma back." He said, and she did, he hadn't hurt her thus far, she may as well trust him. He was right; there were worse things out here. When he was sure she had a good hold, he gripped the nearest thick tree, and started to climb. Scaling the rocky cliffs of durotar made this an easy task. Chloe held onto him, but his long messy hair kept itching her nose. She sniffed, and caught a whiff of him, salty sea water, and something spicy. It wasnt a great or bad smell either way, just him. She felt her nose twitch and she tried to keep from doing it, but a loud 'Ashoo!' came from her. Rocking her as she gripped around his neck tighter. "Ach! First jou sneeze in my air, den you try chokin me! What dat alliance teach you girlie?" She sniffled and glared at the back of his red hair as he continued to climb. "Well if your hair wasnt so stiff and tickling my nose I wouldn't sneeze!" She would say. "Dat my fault jou got boogers in my air den? S'cuse me!" He said back. If he were any human man, she would surely have slapped him for acting so rudely. Of course, she'd probably be dead already. He passed four large enough branches for them to sleep on before finally finding one he deemed high enough that they were out of danger. "What about gorillas? Aren't there Gorillas? Don't they climb trees?" She protested. "Dey to fat. Dey all da way by bootybay any way, ain no gorilla gonna come ere." He insisted. "Well, there isn't enough room for both of us." She insisted. He leaned against the trunk of the tree and pulled her into his lap. Her feet hung out over the branch, her head against his shoulder, her side pressed firmly against him. "Dere... Ain goin no place. Now, get some sleep. We gon start walkin marrow. Gon go to da horde. You, gon be my pet, or you gon be killed on sight." She couldn't argue. He had been kind thus far, and she had to wait until they were out of strangle thorn to get to any human camps. She didn't fall asleep quickly. She stayed up for an hour before finally dozing off. Before she did, she looked down at his odd hand on the top, just behind where the thumb connected to the hand, was a scar, a T burned into his flesh. She reached her index finger over it. T in common, burned into the hand. He had stolen something. Her mind finally gave into sleep, and her eyes closed, not before wondering, what had earned him that marker.

When Chloe awoke the next morning, she realized two things very quickly; Firstly, she was very high in the air, sitting on a high branch in the canopy of stranglethorn, and secondly, she was completely alone. Fear rocked her forward and adrenaline pumped into her system as she wrapped her arms around the tree trunk that moments ago was at her back. Her strawberry blonde hair, a mess from sleep hung in long think bunches out of the bun it had been in the day before. She remembered that she had not gone asleep alone, and then, with horror she thought she'd been left by the troll to fend for her self. She looked down; many branches full of thick green leaves clouded her vision of the far off ground. She leaned just a little further, and the soft cotton of her dress slipped against the dew-slick moss on the side of the tree. Suddenly, she was falling. Her heart was in her throat, her stomach was in knots and she could hardly breath, yet some how managed to scream. Her life depended on her not panicking, her wide eyes spied a vine and her fingers went around it. She prayed it was attached to something. Suddenly she jerked to a stop mid-fall. She hung by the vine that was only as thick as her arm. Her eyes opened and she looked around as the vine twisted, turning her in 360 degree circles. On one trip around, she was unfortunate enough to see a three toed creature she'd never seen before. Its fur was green like moss in some spots, it moved slowly, and looked at her, upside down. When it twisted its head around to see her right side up she tried to kick away from it. She let-out little panicked squeaks as it reached a long three clawed paw slowly across to the vine. When the creature put its weight on the vine it gave just a little. "No... nonono...Don't do that..." She said in a whisper. Her hands gripped the vine enough to make her knuckles white. "Don't do that." The vine seemed to groan as the large creature slowly put all its weight onto the vine, and slowly reached for the next branch, leaving her entirely alone when it realized she wasnt a threat. When the creature crossed over to the other branch, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ey, what jou doin up dere girlie?" Came a fermilure voice from the night before. This relieved her, she was saved! "Ed! I'm up here!" She said, wrapping her legs around the wine. He smirked and looked up at her intently. " I see dat." He watched her fidget, and he was sure that if the vines and branches weren't in the way, he'd get a good show with that dress of hers. He didn't find it curious that he found her appealing, he'd seen plenty of human slaves and war prisoners who were female, and even though they were small and delicate compared to troll and orc women, they were firey in a way that could rival the females of his own species, this appealed to him. He watched as she dangled. "Don worry I coming girlie, Don Move." He said, but before he could move to start climbing the tree nearest her, he heard the snap of a vine and the shriek of a human girl as she fell. He jumped when he saw where she was headed and with the luck of the gods, he caught her. Her arms wrapped around his blue neck and she hid her head in his collar. "Jou tryin ta get jour self killed? Girlie, don know what I will do wit jou." He set her down and looked around. " De way to Grom' gol is trew dare." That was all he said before he started walking. She had to jog to keep up with his long strides.

Ed knew that the prospect of going into a horde camp would probably scare Chloe away from him. Part of him wanted this, and the other part thought she was entertaining to keep around; unfortunately she'd likely get into deeper trouble than falling out of trees if he did. He looked back at her as she followed him through the over growth. Eventually they were on the road, or what was left of one. Paved stone was slowly being taken back by the jungle, and it seemed that constant maintenance kept it from taking back all of the cobble stones, but the grout between the stones was entirely green, and places that hadn't been stepped on were almost completely hidden by moss. Chloe seemed pleased to be on some sort of path, and Ed was thankful for her silence. The blonde human loved to drivel on about anything, and he found it sort of annoying. Her silence was so well enjoyed how ever, that a few minutes went by before he noticed how silent the jungle was. It was early in the morning yet, no humanoids would be awake right now, but that didn't mean there was no danger. All the cold blooded creatures were warming them selves on the rocks and in the waters just off land. This was a warm blooded hunter. His long crooked nose sniffed, and he turned his red orbs just in time to catch the spots. "Chloe…" He said in a harsh whisper. She stopped her big doe like green eyes blinked at him. "When I tell jou, jou get down." He said firmly. She figured something was up, the look in his eyes made her think he was staring death right in the face.

He waited for what seemed like an eternity in a moment. Then, he saw the yellows, and the black slits of the panther's eyes that'd been stalking in their shadows. "NOW!" He screamed, and as she ducked, the panther leapt forward, and he stood over her. He took the force of the panther throwing its hefty weight at him, his back bowed slightly before he forced the cat off. The animal recoiled, its ears pinned to its massive head as it let out a loud hiss, then a tempered growl. "Climb!" He said franticly. Chloe did, and the cat watched her go. This gave him the advantage; he gripped the cat by the tail and spun the heavy beast around, eliciting screams and roars from it. It coiled in, using strong muscles to push it self inward even with the force of gravity in his swing. The cat managed to dig a claw in before he let go. Large chunks of troll flesh went with the cat out of his arm. Blood jutted from an opened vein and he hissed angrily. The cat, satisfied with its damage, came at him more boldly. This time the two collided and fell to the ground. Tooth and claw were met with fist and tusk. The cat would swipe him, and he would punch it. Eventually, from her vantage point on a branch high enough for her to jump off of if she needed to, she heard the snap of a neck, and the cat lay motionless. Ed got up slowly, but he was bleeding heavily. "Oh my gods! Ed!" She dropped down out of the tree and ran toward him. The wounded hunter would watch her, his eyes drooping from blood loss. He said something in a language she could only assume was orcish, and a hand fell on her shoulder as he passed out. Much to her fear, this hand was deep greenish brown.

Grom' Gol was so different from what Chloe had pictured. She'd assumed that a horde outpost would be a place of deep evil, yet here, like any alliance outpost, a druid was healing along side a priest. Paladins were standing guard with warriors, and magics that she found formilure were happening. This place, though its people were strange, was just like the alliance. A group, fighting for their beliefs. She almost felt ashamed of the war. She found her self praying that Ed would make it through. She stayed in the hut he had been put in at night. One night, she awoke to her head being petted. "Don tink I be seein jou again girlie. Jou get in no trouble?" His voice was raspy, but still it was his. Chloe reached for his hand, rubbing the oddly shaped blue palm against her cheek. "I was scared." She admitted. He laughed at this, which made her angry. "Can help it, don ever tink an alliance girlie be worried bout ol' Ed. For true, you worried for me?" He asked, as if not sure she was being honest. "I did worry, very much." His red eyes went a little soft. She hadn't let go of his hand yet. She turned it palm down and looked at the T burned into his skin. "Ed, what's this?" She asked and he looked at the mark, though she could see he hadn't done so in some time, he looked at her. "Ed stole from da alliance, some din more important dan gold or jewels or womens…" Wondering what this treasure could be, Chloe looked eagerly like a child hearing a story. "What was it?" She asked. "Freedom. Ed tell jou some day, but not dis day, dis day, Ed wan some food, some drink, and a bath for da girlie.. Jou stink!" She blushed four shades of red. "I do not stink!" She protested. She probably did, it was very likely with the amount of bathing they had not done in their now week and a half together, most of which he'd spent knocked out and being healed. "Jou do! Dis nose don lie mon. Girlie stink." He tapped his large nose. "Well you aren't exactly a basket of roses!" She said. He grinned. "I don need smell good, I'ma troll... you a human girlie, gotta smell nice." He watched her turn for shades darker. She would stomp out of the hut. He laughed and told one of the taurens in the tent to tell a blood elf to help her bathe. Soon Chloe was naked, in a big wooden tub, with an undead woman translating, while a blood elf woman helped her wash her hair and gather out the twigs and roots that had gotten entangled in it.

That night, when the rest of the camp went to bed, Chloe and Ed stayed awake, the burn of a small circle pit in the middle of the small hut kept the place warm. Chloe played with one of the braids in her hair. She never felt cleaner than she did right now. She wore fresh linens. A long skirt, belt, and small vest, but who needed more in this heat. Ed was almost fully recovered. Once his bruising went down, they could travel again. "Why is every one being nice to me?" She asked him abruptly. "Dey don be nice to jou. Dey is nice to me. Dey tink jou be my slave girlie." He said simply. This made her blink. "I never heard of a slave being treated so well…" She said honestly. "Jus cus day tink you my slave, don me I do. Jou more like… entertainment." She glared at him. "Jou can be funny to watch, we all need a good laugh now and den. ''Especially righ now." He added. "Jou gon have to play da part til I kin get you near da human land, den you can run home." She nodded, and then she was once again curious. "Why are you being so good to me? We're from opposite factions." She hadn't expected him to help her, but he had. "Jou ask Ed for help Girlie. Dat all jou need to do, ask." He said simply. This troll was turning into the simplest person she'd ever known in her life. His ways were increasingly easy to understand, not because he wanted to be over simple to cause annoyance, but because he truly was this simple. He took his hand from hers, and watched her with red orbs. "Deh humans… for my experience, don know how to accept tings day don't understand. Day choose, to fight because we different. Day don wan to accept dat some time, different, not so bad. Look at da 'orde. Orc, follow different choice, Troll follow different choice, Taurens more different still, undead? I dun wanna get into. An blood elf, who so different, I don't like to go into d'ere city. But, we get along. Humans, and other like dem, dwarf, gnome, only accept two races don look almost exactly like dem. Ain no race in da 'orde look da same." Chloe listened to him, and she was ever more curious. He was right, the alliance way always very weary of siding with any thing that didn't look as close to human as possible. When the dranai joined, there had been a big stink about them looking like demons, yet, they were as simple in ideas as the trolls or orcs seemed to be. She decided that until she could go back to her human world, she would learn as much about the horde, and its diverse peoples as possible.

Chloe was warm and asleep in her hammock next to Ed's bed when she heard heavy foot steps going into the room. Her green eyes opened, but she didn't know a think that they said, as it was all in orcish. She decided that it would be a good idea for her to learn the language. "Commander Aggro'gosh, what bring jou to me so late?" Ed asked curiously. The commander came through the room, past the sleeping human form and leaned down next to Ed. " The weather will be to bad tomorrow for zeppelin, and a wyverns wont be comfortable with the human. We have a black raptor, and the supplies you asked for. One of our caravans from Booty bay was lucky enough to pick up your weapons. I suggest not going that way, perhaps it is best if you stay out of goblin areas for now. Until this blows over. But do you really have it? Do you really have the artifact?" The commander would sound giddy for a moment. He must have noticed they were being listened to, because he would press his finger over his mouth and nod his head toward her hammock. The orc nodded and stood. "I'll leave you to night. Be gone at dawn, we're supposed to be getting blackwater raiders in here tomorrow. Go north; they won't go farther than strangle thorn. Oh, and your hyena came back. She washed up on the shore this evening, a priestess is healing her now, and she should be ready to go by morning. Ed was relieved to know Shiva made it off the ship. He was starting to wonder if he'd ever get rid of that hyena.


	2. Alicia and the brand

The Commander left after handing Ed a letter, Chloe couldn't make out anything but the name 'Thrall' which was the same in common as it was in orcish. Chloe closed her eyes finally and tried to sleep in her hammock bed. These were not common in her lands; humans at least had beds with mattresses of straw. This hammock was ten times more comfortable than any bed she'd ever known.

Ed didn't sleep long. The morning was at its darkest when something in his mind forced his eyes to open. He looked around Chloe's hammock was empty. Thrusting his blankets off him self and cinching his pants up, Ed pushed past the leather flap door to the hut. His eyes went wide when he saw the orcs rallied around Chloe who had been tied down. What was even worse was the white hot branding rod inches from her left cheek. Ed would whistle and from out of another tent came a large red furred female hyena that leapt on the orc with the branding rod. With Chloe out of immediate danger, Ed became enraged with the orcs screaming at them in a language Chloe did not understand.

Chloe had shut her eyes when the hot rod went near her face, so when the heat moved away and she heard Ed screaming they opened again. She blinked back tears and tried to scream around the rags that had been stuffed in her mouth and wrapped around her head to keep her silent. From the glow of the branding rod she could see Shiva drooling in the face of the orc, who didn't move for fear of the large hyena. From the forms of Ed and the other orcs, she could tell that they were in a heated debate about something serious.

"Girl is slave! She must be branded!" Yelled one orc. Ed nodded "Dat true mon, but dat don mean ja go touchin my girlie wit out me knowin it!" He yelled back. "All slaves must be branded!" insisted the other orc. "Jou do it on 'er face, I gotta look at it all da time mon… ain no reason go markin 'er up…" Ed said coolly. "If you don't mark her, we have to keep her and send her to a war camp." Said the first orc. "Get this animal off me!" Yelled the one Shiva stood on.

Ed knew that if he wanted to keep her, he had to brand her. A little voice inside him franticly searched for 'why' he wanted her so badly. He took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. Branding her would keep her safe if he were for some reason not around. If she got lost in a busy market place. He put his hands up finally and silenced the two protesting orcs. "Alrigh… Alrigh but I do it. Don wan non of jou hurtin my girlie." He said possessively. He gave a short whipping whistle, and Shiva removed her self from the orc with the branding rod.

Ed walked over to Chloe and crouched down so that he could look into her eyes. He noticed that the sky had lightened enough that he could see them. He reached behind her head and undid the knot behind her hair. He pulled it off her mouth and she spit out the cloths they stuffed her mouth with. "Ed!" She said, coughing a little at the dryness of her mouth. She was afraid, he could see her shaking. "Chloe. Dis hard for me to say." Ed's eyes went sad for a moment. "I need to brand jou." He said softly. "No!" She said, franticly she would wriggle against the stone she was laid on. "Chloe." He said again, more gently. "If I don do dis, dey will take jou to a war camp. Jou ten times worse dere." Fear raked her over and her eyes widened. "Dis da safest way. Jou safe in da 'orde if jou get brand. If jou don den if Ed no around, dey jus take jou. Wit bran, dey got find jour owner first. Jou safe. Den when jou wan go back to da humans, jou innocent capture slave of da 'evil 'orde' dey don kill jou either. Chloe be safe."

Chloe listened to him, his broken common with his thick accent. She knew he was right. She took a deep breath, and with all she had, she begged one last thing: "Not on my face…" her voice cracked, and for some reason, it made small fractures in something deep down inside Ed. "Don Worry. Ed will do." He said softly. This didn't answer her, she watched him stand and walk over to the orc with the rod. Some of the heat went out of it, so Ed placed it back in the fire. "Will it hurt?" She asked when he came back to wait for the coals to heat the rod. He looked at his own brand the T that looked melted into his skin. "It feel like jour whole body is on fire for little bit. Den, jou go cold and dere ain no pain." He hoped to god she'd pass out after that. He didn't want her to feel the pain come back. An orc called to Ed from the fire, and he went back to get the rod.

Branding rod in one hand, Ed pushed up the back of Chloe's vest over her shoulder blade with the other. "Take a deep breath girlie." He said. He watched her frame raise as she took in a breath and let it out, then another. He felt guilty, but when his own brand itched he felt a sort of pleasure in branding a human, even if it was this girl who had done nothing wrong to him. He pushed the branding rod against Chloe's skin and she screamed loud enough that birds for a mile around would lift out of the trees in a black cloud against the lightening sky.

He pulled the rod away seconds later, but for the two of them it would be an eternity. Burned flesh filled their noses, and the noses of the orcs around them. When the coldness he spoke of began to set in Chloe went silent. Shock had taken her. Her eyes were wide and when he undid the straps she didn't move. He lifted her gently. Carefully taking her back to the hut he had been sleeping in. He placed her on his bed, her back facing the ceiling. He leaned his head down and he felt his heart sink when he saw the angry red burn on her shoulder. He stood slowly and turned.

Ed walked out of the hut again and there before him was a forsaken. He jumped a little, not having expected another person. "I've made apotion for her." The woman said in a watery, yet eerily beautiful voice. "Dat very kind of jou." Ed said coarsely. When this woman was alive, it was likely she was very beautiful. Her hair still had traces of blond color. Her skin was still desperately clinging from her bones and nothing was sticking out yet. She must not have been dead long before she was reanimated.

The forsaken passed into the tent quietly. The small vile of red liquid clutched in her boney hands. She moved near Chloe, and gave a soft sigh. Her sunken eyes took in the damage of the brand. Chloe looked up at the forsaken. It had been the second one she'd seen in her time at Grom 'gol. "Such a brave human, to stay with the troll after he'd said he'd let you go." Her eyes would look reminiscing for a moment and she seemed in a far off place. "Part of me some times wishes I could return to my human life." She admitted. Her sunken eyes held a softness that caught Chloe off guard. "What's your name?" Chloe asked. "Alicia" The forsaken woman said.

Alicia removed the cork from the potion vile and handed it to Chloe. It shook a little in Chloe's hand, so she used both hands to hold it to her lips. There was just enough potion to heal the pain and wound but leave the burn scar. Chloe felt the potion warm the spot, then she felt nothing there at all. Her back had healed.

"Thank you." She said earnestly. Alicia smiled and brushed down the skirt of her long white robes. "I thought the forsaken were all cruel to humans." Chloe said. Alicia nodded. "Most are. Most are jealous or angry that they are dead. Half of those who are forsaken were once great warriors or healers or magi to the humans and to the alliance. Wouldn't you be bitter if one moment you are celebrated and the next you are damned and feared by all, even your own flesh and blood children?" There seemed to be some spite there. "I was a priestess of the light. I healed many brave souls from battle field to battle field. I cursed the forsaken my self in life. Then I became one." Alicia sighed and then smiled again. "God works in many ways unknown to us. I do not hate the humans, or the alliance. I merely see the difference in opinion." Chloe blinked "I didn't know forsaken could be pacifistic."

Ed didn't like or dislike the undead. They'd proven them selves to be both honorable members of the horde, and complete snakes. He'd always known them to be an unsavory bunch. His only real time with one had been in war song gulch, where he watched an undead warrior eat the remains of a gnome Shiva had killed. The memory made him shudder a little. When he heard the two striking up a friend ship, his eyes rolled. Chloe had strange taste in people. He figured she must have, or she wouldn't have stayed with him this long.

Ed went to the stable and claimed the raptor the commander was giving him. He saddled the creature and started to tie bags and packs to the mount, which groggily opened and closed its slit blue eyes. It purred as he pet its neck before taking its reigns and leading it out near the hut he and Chloe had been staying in. He was relieved to see Chloe smiling when she came out of the hut. She seemed to let things go rather easily. He looked over the letter he'd gotten the night before from thrall. It told him to travel to under city. Doing this by raptor would take them weeks. He looked up; the sun was high enough that the nocturnal creatures would be bedding down. They had a few hours before the humanoids were mobile. This was the perfect time to leave.

Alicia and Chloe walked up to Ed as he closed the letter and put it in one of his saddle bags. "If you are heading north, I'm headed to Under city. It would be safer if you had an extra set of experienced eyes on your trip." Alicia said kindly. Ed could not disagree with her. They'd hit dusk wood by night fall. He could get out of there fairly well on his own, but with the extra worry of a human with no ability with a blade or bow he knew he'd see real trouble if he let his guard down for a moment. Chloe still hadn't said anything to him, he under stood she was upset. He took hold of her hips and lifted her into the raptor saddle like a child, then putting his leg into the stirrup he swung his other leg over and set down just behind her. He took his cloak from his bag and wrapped it around her. He then pulled on his leather chest armor. He had a nice set of chain mail armor waiting for him as a reward in orgirmmar. He hoped to wear it soon.

Alicia returned with a brilliant red hawk strider. Chloe crooned over the beauty of the bird, who snapped its beak at her when she reached for its feathers. "She is new, and not very friendly." Alicia warned. Ed looked on at the path toward the main road. "We don stop till we out of dat forest. Dat chi'kon better 'ave some speed." He warned. Alicia gave him a proud look. "Faster than your lizard." She quipped. "Da firs one out buys da drinks den?" He said, the bet was set, and they were off!


	3. A Few Laughs

( I couldn't figure out what to do with them in duskwood, so I figured give them some laughs. This is marked as humor after all.)

They passed the rope bridge and just before the sun fell they stared into the black and haunted forest of duskwood. Ed's ruby eyes scanned the forest ahead of them. The jungle made him calm, it relaxed and tuned him in. It was strange to him to see such a place butted up against this evil looking wood. He tipped his head and saw the sky was being lost to them. Just as he'd feared. They'd be in this place in the night.

"This place gives even me the creeps" Alicia commented. Her sunken, yellowed eyes surveyed the land with distrust. Even Shiva whined at the idea of entering the forest. The red hyena, usually so fearless, gave Ed a look that said she would follow because she had to, not because she wanted to. Ed took a piece of jerky out of a saddle bag and tossed it at the hyena who devoured it quickly. Chloe looked at Alicia with stun on her features. "But, Alicia... your dead."

Ed snapped back to the conversation at hand and nudged Chloe in the ribs for her comment. They didn't need to lose the priest now because of the girl's stupidity. "So, just because I'm undead I don't fear eh? i don't have to worry about death or anything else? Well Let me tell you! I'd feel death just as well as you. I'd feel the wargen ripping me apart as much as you would." Alicia, feeling stung by Chloe's ignorance stopped looking at her. Ed shook his head as  
Chloe stammered to apologise. "Jou don tink to good some times Girlie." He said with a short little laugh. Chloe lowered her head and stared at her dangling feet.

Ed took the time to get down off his raptor and put his hands on Chloe's hips. "What are you doing?" She asked, and he nodded toward the forest. "Ain no way jou tellin me jou gotta pee when we in dat place. Jou go now while we still an area i know. Do ja business behind dem bushes." He said, as though it were very plain to do. "I don't want to just go on the side of the road!" Chloe said, a little squeakier than she meant to. He watched her, she put her hands on her hips and straightened up. He mimicked her action and loomed over her at seven feet tall. "Well what will I wipe with?" She asked prissily. Ed gripped the nearest leafs without looking at them and jerked them off the bush. "Now jou got half a bush.. Better do what you got to b'fore you ain got no bush." He said seriously. She quickly went behind the rest of the bush and he turned away.

He walked up to Alicia, not wanting to be called any names for watching Chloe go. "Dat girl dont tink to good. I'm sorry Ali. I don let her say dos tings again." He said seriously. "Oh its alright Edjaba, I know she isnt that bright. I was like her once. Its an eye opening experience, traveling with us. I just hope you make sure she absorbs everything she can. It only takes one person to change the world." Alicia said. If he had to hand one thing to the forsaken without a fight, it was how sagely they were. Living past death did many things to them, but some, a very few changed for the better. He awed in their ability to see things so plainly, even when they'd seem so complicated to elders full of wisdom.

Chloe finished her business and gingerly approached the two. "I'm sorry Alicia." She said honestly. Alicia looked down at the human with a softness in her yellowed eyes. Her hand gently reached out and touched Chloe's shoulder. Her touch was cool and dry, like soft leather. The bones felt like Ed's tusks, which Chloe had touched one night in Grom' gol while he slept. She was surprised at the gentleness and care that went into touching her. Her heart went warm. The two females shared a smile.

Ed went back to his raptor. He'd pet shiva on the head and speak softly, in orcish whispers to the red furred hyena. Chloe came up to him and leaned forward, listening to his whispers. "What are you telling her?" She asked curiously. " I ask, if she wan to eat jou." He said, the grin around his tusks told her he was joking. "I tell her she is stronger dan any wolf or wargen. Dat she is best friend Ed ever have, and dat, she can have all da watermelon in orgirmmar if she help Ed get Chloe through dis forest alive." He didn't know why he threw in the last part, but he felt it was meant to be there.

Chloe thought about what he said for a moment and a redness crept into her pale cheeks. "Will you teach me?" She asked, dumbfounded, Ed asked "Teach jou what?" "Horde language." Chloe confirmed. Ed smiled, he liked that she was curious, though it did get her into trouble, he was pleased she didn't want to idly go by. He nodded. "Ed Teach." He said. He stood up straight and put his hands on her hips to lift her back onto the raptor. Ed then put his foot in the sturp and swing his leg over him self. He looked at her and grinned. " Jou fir lesson." He whispered into her ear. "Eu amo Edjaba. Eu quero montá-lo como um ela-diabo selvagem no calor." He said. Leaning back, he watched her, trying to hide the twinkle of mischief in his eyes. She repeated it, though broken, and Alicia began laughing so hard that she had to hold onto the saddle of her hawkstrider. "What did I say?!" Chloe demanded. "Ed, your terrible!" Alicia would say between gasps. "Ed what did you made me say?!" Chloe was turning beet red and Ed leaned down "Jou say Jou love Ed, Jou wan to ride him like a wil she-devil in heat." His voice was husky and he heard her heart beat faster. "You dirty troll! That's the rudest most sick thing... I cant... I'm never listening to you again!" She yelled. Ed couldn't help but laugh.

"Sua aprovação minha menina." Ed said, grinning still as he looked at Alicia, who smiled. This, wasnt as funny it would seem. Chloe dared not ask, fearing the worst. She crossed her arms and relaxed against him. "Your a total pervert." She told him. He nodded his head and looked at the sky. It was dark now, but they had to continue. Duskwood awaited. The looming forest still looked as black and murky as ever.


End file.
